Overview

The Human Factors Engineering & Ergonomics Center (HFEEC) is a consortium of research laboratories and systems representing the expertise of the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) faculty who are concerned with human factors engineering and ergonomics. Faculty members are directly responsible for administering their individual research projects. Such an organizational arrangement allows for an efficient and economic use of hardware and software facilities. The Department and the University have indicated their support of research in the HFEEC through provision of appropriate personnel, equipment, and facilities on a continuing basis.

When Virginia Tech initiated a search to locate a person of national prominence to establish a Human Factors and Ergonomics Engineering program, it was fortunate to be able to attract Dr. Harry L. Snyder to the campus in 1970. Under his leadership, the Human Factors Engineering program was developed. In 1985, Dr. Casali, Dr. Price, Dr. Williges, Dr. Wrilley, Dr. Beaton, and Dr. Kroemer established the human factors engineering center. In 1986, the Center moved to occupy 23,000 square feet of laboratory and office space on the fifth floor of Whittemore Hall on the Tech Campus with Dr. Brian Kleiner currently serving as the coordinator. The name of the center was changed to more appropriately reflect the scope of the program to Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics Center. Today the faculty, facilities, and research program of the Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics Center are unsurpassed in any academic institution in the nation. These facilities and the faculty are described in the HFEEC Web pages.

The goals of the HFEEC are:

• To promote and advance the understanding of human factors and ergonomics involved in design, manufacturing, and use of machines, systems, and devices of all kinds.
• To provide a forum for the interchange of knowledge and methods used in human factors and ergonomics research.

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Last updated 3 September 2003. 4:00 PM
College of Engineering | Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering